The range of business opportunity on offer through a trade mission heading to Malaysia, Sarawak and Brunei in late March represents a rare and important opportunity for exporters, says Sir Ken Stevens.

“But time is short to get involved – we need to close registrations off within two weeks.

“The mission will facilitate one-on- one meetings with business people as well as briefings, site visits for example to the top Asian theme park, Sunway Lagoon, and to several major food, engineering and supply chain sites such as at Intel and Air Asia,” Sir Ken said.

Sir Ken Stevens, who is leading the mission, is founder and CEO of Glidepath Group and Chairman of Export New Zealand. Export New Zealand is organising the mission in association with the ASEAN New Zealand Combined Business Council.

Sir Ken said the mission is focusing on:

• Fast moving consumer goods plus related technologies

• IT and engineering

• Education

• Cultural and adventure Tourism

“We are working closely with contacts on the ground in Malaysia, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to ensure the group gets to places they wouldn’t otherwise get to, and meet business people not normally available,” he said.

“Developing trading relationships to achieve specific trade outcomes can carry a lot of pressure and this is where traveling in the group can prove so valuable.

“Mission delegates have a huge amount of invaluable advice, contacts and other information they share between them.

“After leading a trade mission to Vietnam last March it was clear that if you go there on your own you won’t get anything like the same level of business contacts and opportunities.

“Amongst them was an introduction to the NZTE Beachheads Advisory Board members for South East Asia, all senior, extremely influential company directors, economists, and industry sector specialists.

“A mission delegate said of that visit they had ‘come from zero to a level of activity in the fastest possible time, and to do this we would have spent far more as an individual company’.

“Highlights of the mission to Malaysia, Sarawak and Brunei include industry specific business to business matching/introductions, economic and investment briefings, and site tours.”